Can Your Neighborhood Make You Healthier?

If you’re a health nut, where you live may be a big factor for you. The neighborhood that you choose could have some impact on your health and lifestyle choices. Your neighborhood will need the amenities that you crave like places for exercise, access to healthy food, and sidewalks for walking. These aspects also add to the community sense that you feel within the neighborhood. Children’s parks, people who go on frequent strolls, and a sense of people spending time outside often are all signs of a “healthy” neighborhood. Below, we’ll delve into these key factors. 

Sidewalks And Bike Trails

Being able to do daily errands on foot along with access to easy outdoor exercise is important to a healthy lifestyle. These amenities provide safety and the ability to access what you need without a car. You can even find public transportation easier to get to and from. As a bonus, you’ll be doing something good for the environment, saving gas and staying out of traffic.  

Nature Is Abundant

Don’t underestimate how much healthier being around nature can make you feel. From lush trees, to parks, gardens, hiking trails, even golf courses all provide access to active activities and natural beauty. Even community gardens are a part of nature that can be good for your health. Having the opportunity to grow or even be around the inspiration of people growing and caring for their own food sources is good for you. The more access you have to nature in the place that you’re living, the healthier that you’ll be.  

Check Out The Social Scene

Sometimes you can get a sense of a neighborhood just by observing it. Are people making connections and out and about together, or do people seem to go off more on their own? Socializing is an important part of health and well-being. Some signs of socially friendly neighborhoods:

• People are out walking their dogs, chatting
• Neighbors are out together gathering in a front yard

Gyms And Healthy Food Are Readily Available

Do you see your favorite organic grocery store nearby? Having access to the type and quality of food you crave is important. Maybe there is an abundance of vegetarian and vegan restaurant options nearby. For those days that a workout outside just won’t do, having a gym close by is also a sign of a healthy neighborhood.    

Check Out The Traffic

A neighborhood can have all of the above, yet if it has a lot of traffic, you could have a huge issue. Lots of traffic brings two different kinds of pollution- noise and air. Not having access to quiet spaces can often increase stress levels. If you have allergies or asthma, being around a lot of traffic pollution may not help your condition much either. While traffic seems like a small detail, it’s something to consider when you’re looking for a healthy neighborhood.